


Still there...?

by jozevf



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Blood and Injury, Cutting, Gen, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Self-Harm, Sex Work, Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-12 16:46:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28763535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jozevf/pseuds/jozevf
Summary: "...Still here."
Kudos: 2





	Still there...?

Fashonti sat nude on the floor of the brothel’s lodgings, leaning against the thin wall separating his area from that of his roommate. He had only a towel draped over his lap to preserve a degree of modesty. Amid the patchwork of scars and wounds that was his skin, the wound on his left wrist was far fresher and far deeper than the others. Blood was oozing out of it while he limply held some gauze over the hasty bandaging.

“Still there…?” a young, feminine voice asked from the opposite side of the dividing wall. It belonged to Vita, a miqo’te Keeper who joined the escort business around the same time as Fashonti. Her part of the room sat directly next to his.

“...Still here,” he answered, his voice weak. He was struggling to stay awake. His entire body felt like lead.

“Good…” Vita sat biting her lip in worry. In truth, she was supposed to be with a client right now, but she refused to leave Fashonti alone like this. “Just stay awake. The medic’s on his way, but it might take awhile. So just… Just stay awake until he gets here.” She wanted to go in and sit near Fashonti, but he begged her not to look at him in such a state. “You picked a really bad time to try this, you know.”

“...I know.” He and Vita were the only ones in the brothel tonight, not including Rose Water, who ran off to fetch the medic. Not many clients scheduled time for this late in the night, so Fashonti knew there would be no medic on duty. There was no worse time to try this. “...I’m sorry.”

Vita sat quietly, wondering what to do if Fashonti didn’t make it through the night. He didn’t know it, but she really liked him. _If he died now…_ She shook her head, forcing the thought out of her mind. “When the client gave you the knife, did he… did he specifically ask you to open your wrist like that, or did he only want you to cut yourself a little bit?”

Fashonti didn’t answer. He couldn’t bear to. The client only asked him to cut a line along his wrist. It was Fashonti’s idea to go as deep as he could manage without passing out. It turned out he could handle more pain than he thought. He offered a weary look to the ceiling. He didn’t know what to tell her.

“Still there…?” Vita asked after a length of silence. Every time he went quiet, her stomach knotted up.

“...Still here.”

“Good…” She looked over to the door, listening for footsteps, waiting to see the medic rush in. She still didn’t hear anything to suggest he was in the building yet. _Twelve, grant him speed,_ she pleaded silently. More time passed. “So… What do you want me to tell Miss Vex when she comes in the morning?” No answer. “I’ll back up any story you want to give, so don’t worry, okay?” A long silence. “Still there…?” Vita bit her lip, waiting for an answer. None came. “Fashonti…?” Still no answer. She started crying, then softly banging the back of her head against the wall. “F-Fashonti?” She didn’t dare go look. He didn’t want to be seen like that. She put her head in her arms and sobbed.


End file.
